Traumatic release experience

[Richmond]

A few weeks ago I had finished doing some solo deep hip flexor stretches, and was then resting my lower back across a foam roller. My hips and legs began to shiver, so I slid of the foam roller to lay on the mat, thinking I may have tweaked a nerve. The shaking felt kind of pleasant, so I went with it, and it probably lasted 1-2 minutes.

 

A google search later, I found out this was called a Traumatic Release Experience (TRE), and is usually triggered by a series of structured exercises, by someone with specific training. I had just gotten to it by accident.

 

 

I probably would have stopped it if I'd been in a group situation, because it looks strange and embarrassing.

 

I felt pretty spaced out for the next day or so (as in light-headed, not drugged). I'm aware emotional turmoil, and even crying, is not uncommon with intense stretching, but hadn't heard of anything like TRE before I experienced it.

 

I wondered if anyone else had come across it, and their thoughts on it?

Also if anyone had done it under the instruction of someone trained in the method?

 

I'm only a few months into my stretch therapy journey, but it's already taking me to some weird and wonderful places!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LukeMM]

i was looking around for information about shaking the body. 

During a Systema seminar it was a common way to soften the body after taking painfull hits, so i thought there might be more information somewhere.

the only thing I could find was TRE, which I tried yesterday for the first time. it's really easy to get the shaking starting, and I could feel a 10 years old hip injury after some minutes.

 

while the TRE is already something very cool, does anyone here knows something about simply shaking the body to releas tension?

 

http://www.funwithqigong.com/five-flows-qigong-set/first-flow-exercises/exercise-1-shaking-the-body/

This seems to be kind of what I'm looking for

[Emmet Louis]

@Richmond Extremes of moods is quite common with the hip flexor stretching by ST, I've had everything from rolling on the floor uncontrollable laughing and joy to 110kg powerlifters in fits of tears. The general advice would be to not get attached to what ever the feeling is just let it come over you and then ride it out. 

@ LukeMM what stuff do you want to know about shaking? 

There's not much written about it but its fairly simple in practice. 

[Kit_L]

Actually, there is a lot written about it, but you have to know the specific terms to find it. In Yoga, these movements/shakings re called spontaneous kriyas, and are core parts of a number of systems. One of the systems I studied in had these kriyas as the core technique (Satyananda yoga, from Bihar).

 

/rant: Why do Americans have to create a "new" acronym, "new" system, and box–label–own everything??? /end rant

 

As Emmet mentions, these reactions are common; indeed normal. Go with it; it is what's happening, and there is no problem. 

[zenwoof]

Scott Sonnon has an exercise where he uses his triceps and traps (relaxed lats) to rapidly shake his shoulders (with arms down to the side) back and forth, exhaling as if you're panting like a dog. He used an analogy of a tuning fork; that vibrating to the frequency of the tension will relieve it. I have no idea the legitimacy of that claim, however I do find the exercise effective at relieving shoulder tension. It's actually part of his free 'shoulder reset routine' if you wanted to look into it.

 

@Luke: do you have a video or link for the TRE exercise you did?

[Craig]

My friend Leon is big into this and has a fantastic method for inducing them quickly. I had a quick go at the retreat, but have not continued due to practicing selective ignorance (see Dave's recent alembics article).

If you're interested, drop me a Facebook message and I can put you in touch with Leon, he can give you some guidance.

[Nathan]

I believe Scott's shaking exercises came from Systema. I don't remember for sure, but he talks about it in his materials and there is a special little bonus video that came with Tacfit Commando when I grabbed it years ago.

[Emmet Louis]

Interest got the better of me and I got the TRE books last night. Its basically wreck your legs with bodyweight exercises then lie in the semi prone position. I gave it a go as laid out, no tremors. Though I feel the exercises with my leg strength might need to be tougher.

 

[michaelsamsel]

A distinction needs to be made between volitional, short back and forth movements (the skeleton moves and a muscle acts more or less as a unit), and neuro-genic tremors which are involuntary and come from individual or small groups of motor units firing and letting go asynchronously (the skeleton basically stays in place though it may be tossed around a bit). The latter is supposed to have the effect of decreasing baseline muscle tension and/or length. Some say it releases "CNS tension related to trauma" but that seems based on a mind-runs-the-body bias

Bercelli is trained in bioenergetics where Lowen re-invented neurogenic tremors through positions like the 'bow' I don't think Berrcelli (who I have met) claims to have invented anything new, but rather 1) developed a format that can be taught to large groups (80-100) in about 15 minutes and that 2) targets the psoas. In that way TRE is valuable for large populations that have been traumatized.

Once a person has more lengthened relaxed muscles (for instance psoas) at baseline, tremors will be less likely to occur but the same also with really tight muscles that don't let go easily. There is nothing magical about Bercelli's sequence, it is just based on stretch and exhaustion, and so of course tremoring could happen in the final position if one put oneself there after an ST session. Bercelli's sequence is meant to be efficient and easily teachable and non-threatening (and to be conducted in a  safe setting with empathetic others) because of the possible release of emotion (which in the bioenergetic tradition is believed to aid (or actually be a unity with) muscular release

[SimonT]

Tremors, TRE "trauma release exercises" (what Leon taught us on the retreat), "continuum movement" (contains a lot of the same stuff), and spontaneous "kriyas" in yoga etc IMO are all interesting and fun and can be life-changing to varying extents, but, in my experience of people who have got waaaaaay into them, they have a tendency to become just another form of habitual movement, disguised as being "spontaneous". I still think it's cool, and I certainly don't claim to fully understand what's going on in all cases (I think several phenomena can easily be lumped together in this category of "spontaneous movement" which can be difficult to distinguish from each other, even for the person experiencing/performing them), but it can easily degenerate into a kind of echo-chamber or cultish environment where people are basically being encouraged to get spastic as to show how sensitive they are. A lot of "tantra" people get sucked into this to the point that they can't take a simple in breath with their eyes closed or sit still for a moment with focused attention without having "spontaneous orgasms". A little bit of searching on the youtubes for "spontaneous qigong" will also show how much of this sort of thing is going on in China.

[SimonT]

I'm sure a lot of tension can be released this way though - conversely, a lot of tension could just as easily be built up, depending on how you did it, or how it manifested.

[Emmet Louis]

. A little bit of searching on the youtubes for "spontaneous qigong" will also show how much of this sort of thing is going on in China.

My Gf was just reading Damo Mitchells book on Nei Dan. And had to stop reading to have a very loud rant about one of the pictures showing a group of people doing spontaneous movement. Her main point was its not very spontaneous if you all decide to meet up at one time and do spontaneous movement is it? 

[Craig]

+100000 to what Simon said

[SimonT]

I just reread my post above, and although I stand by what I said, I want to add that I really do think that there is something to all of this, and that it can be really, genuinely deep. Genuine disinhibition of movement is really really powerful, and we have such massive cultural inhibitions about movement that actually any weird environment which allows, normalises or encourages zany unplanned unrestrained movement of any sort can bring about amazing catharsis and potentially help people unlock whole aspects of themselves which are usually suppressed. So I'm actually kind of really into it - I mean, I do Butoh, and Continuum, I love environments where I can "dance" in truly weird ways that my body wants to move without being judged as a freak, and I actively encourage these sorts of explorations in just about anyone who works with me - while at the same time I'm highly skeptical.

 

Just gotta make sure that you balance out the twitching and writhing with some wrestling or any sort of solid physical stuff and you should be right I reckon.

 

Ok I'm out.

[michaelsamsel]

I'm interested in involuntary movement.   That is not the same as spontaneous movement, which includes voluntary movement that is deemed to be less filtered or contaminated somehow. Obviously, with spontaneous movement there is room for a lot of self-delusion. When things are done in front of an audience (Esalen-style) there is obviously a great deal of demand characteristics, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_characteristics Add youtube to the mix and who know what is actually happening

 

But with involuntary behavior such as neurogenic tremor, I am unsure how there is room for self-delusion? TRE is about voluntary steps that increase greatly the likelihood of involuntary movement. But it doesn't always happen and the inducing steps themselves aren't sacred. Bercelli has spoken about "tremor envy" A lot of people will start shaking their legs to imitate others or follow a feeling and whatever the value of this, it is not the involuntary movement that TRE is based around.

 

While spontaneous 'expressive' movement (or certainly any prescribed sequence of movement) might increase tension as well as loosen it, I am less clear how an involuntary movement can increase tension (well there is clonus or cramp or spasm but that is usually easily distinguished). 

A Lowen referenced two parts of intended movement--the voluntary part and the involuntary part mostly through the autonomic nervous system, gamma neurons etc, perhaps also fascia. It is the involuntary component that brings in the pleasure and beauty. Lowen worked on rehabbing the involuntary part of functioning which to him included at times encouraging emotions as a tool to effect the neuro-muscular situation (dis-inhibiting) not as a message to be pantomimed (a common misconception throughout the world of body psychotherapy)

 

Increasing involuntary movement sets the stage for two critical involuntary events 1) full natural breathing, and 2) satisfying orgasm. But it also sets the stage for satisfying spontaneous voluntary movement such as dance, walking, interpersonal confrontations etc.

[zenwoof]

Guys, guys...

 

this is true spontaneous movement: http://i.imgur.com/J5T6bdN.gifv

 

see how quickly it released this student’s deeply-held anger trauma? It only took a few seconds…

 

I only teach this technique in-person so that our souls can melt into one another allowing direct transmission to take place, and because this is such an extremely powerful technique, it is not safe for anyone to learn without first being under my direct supervision, and under a very supportive environment…

 

Luckily, I’ll be hosting workshops with my assistant instructors, all of whom I’ve made sure have completed their time as a novice-monk, passed through the Gateless Gate, and have lived for over 300 cycles of rebirth. They are all trained in anapanasati and each is the most senior bhikkhuni of their local sangha. They will have compassion upon you with loving-kindness the likes of which has never been seen before in the Cycle of Samsara, having been extensively trained in the Mahayana Tripitaka, with access to the entire Pali canon as well.

 

I, however, am the best disciple of the abbots of the Eight Monasteries of Madhva, and I've been involved in numerous debates with Sankara's followers, and have 1008 confirmed victories. I can help you achieve enlightenment in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with the study of Koan. I'm trained in fruitful debate (samvada) and I'm the most senior swami of all the monasteries of Udipi. Most other teachers are nothing but another follower of the doctrine of illusion to me. I will expose their false pretenses with an exactitude that has never been seen herewith, mark my words. Not only am I extensively trained in all the Vedangas and the proper understanding of the Prasthana-trayi, but I have full access to all the Mahayana Buddhist texts as well, and I can use them to expose their fakery. I could have you become at least a mukti-yogya, any time, in over 108 ways, and that is just with the study of the Vishnu-tattva-nirnaya.

 

Throughout my workshops, I provide all students with TREATs (Trauma Release and Emotion Assimilation Training) that ultimately are designed to result in a FUCKYOU moment (Functional Unconscious and Conscious Killing for Your Own Understanding).